ADHD and "rejection sensitivity dysphoria"

[cara susanna]

Anyone heard of this? Is there any evidence for it beyond people posting on social media that they have ADHD and experience it? I can't find anything in the actual literature. I'm also confused as to how this concept differs from rejection sensitivity, which is a construct that has actually been studied empirically.

What Is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?

Now gaining more attention, RSD can pack an emotional wallop.

www.psychologytoday.com

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted1019096]

I study rejection sensitivity in my research if you have any general questions but I have never heard of RS used in this context.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Anyone heard of this? Is there any evidence for it beyond people posting on social media that they have ADHD and experience it? I can't find anything in the actual literature. I'm also confused as to how this concept differs from rejection sensitivity, which is a construct that has actually been studied empirically.

What Is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?

Now gaining more attention, RSD can pack an emotional wallop.

www.psychologytoday.com

[Adjusts onion on belt]

Rejection sensitivity?

In my day, we referred to it as "immaturity."

This strikes me as an example of the rampant over-medicalization of our field and of psychotherapy.

Didn't a young Albert Ellis once suffer from a profoundly severe case of 'rejection sensitivity' and found a way (through exposure) to overcome it?

 

[cara susanna]

I study rejection sensitivity in my research if you have any general questions but I have never heard of RS used in this context.

I used RS in a BPD study so I'm familiar with it in that context. Are you aware of any other disorders it's been empirically associated with? I saw a few on depression as well.

 

[erg923]

[Adjusts onion on belt]

Rejection sensitivity?

In my day, we referred to it as "immaturity."

Dad says...buck up.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Dad says...buck up.

Rub some dirt into it.

I know nothing about the topic. My impulsive and non-informed reaction is a concern about pathologizing typical human behaviors.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Rub some dirt into it.

I know nothing about the topic. My impulsive and non-informed reaction is a concern about pathologizing typical human behaviors.

This. Rejection is a natural human aversive. Nobody likes getting rejected. The responses to it have to do more with emotional regulation, IMO, which does kind of make sense for ADHD given the impulsivity associated with it (a prominent researcher I was heard lecture said "impulsivity is the difference between *wanting* to tell your boss to go to hell and *actually* telling your boss to go to hell").

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

This. Rejection is a natural human aversive. Nobody likes getting rejected. The responses to it have to do more with emotional regulation, IMO, which does kind of make sense for ADHD given the impulsivity associated with it (a prominent researcher I was heard lecture said "impulsivity is the difference between *wanting* to tell your boss to go to hell and *actually* telling your boss to go to hell").

I thought that impulsivity was taking one marshmallow now instead of taking two marshmallows later.

I keed. I keed.

 

[WisNeuro]

Rub some dirt into it.

I know nothing about the topic. My impulsive and non-informed reaction is a concern about pathologizing typical human behaviors.

I have "Lunch Choice dysphoria." All I brought were overnight oats, banana, and mixed nuts. Alas and alack, woe is me, do I need wellbutrin now?

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

I have "Lunch Choice dysphoria." All I brought were overnight oats, banana, and mixed nuts. Alas and alack, woe is me, do I need wellbutrin now?

I'm sure there's a blood test, neuroimaging findings, 12-step program, political action committe, service dog program, afternoon television special, t-shirt, Facebook group, and suitable medication(s) for your diagnosed malady.

You could even get Social Security Disability payments for it, if you're slick.

Lemme check Twitter.

 

[cara susanna]

This. Rejection is a natural human aversive. Nobody likes getting rejected. The responses to it have to do more with emotional regulation, IMO, which does kind of make sense for ADHD given the impulsivity associated with it (a prominent researcher I was heard lecture said "impulsivity is the difference between *wanting* to tell your boss to go to hell and *actually* telling your boss to go to hell").

My understanding of RS is that it's more about assuming rejection than experiencing dysphoria with rejection (which is natural, yes). Hence why it's been studied with BPD.

 

[WisNeuro]

My understanding of RS is that it's more about assuming rejection than experiencing dysphoria with rejection (which is natural, yes). Hence why it's been studied with BPD.

Is this qualitatively different than ruminative negative expectations in disorders with a major dysphoric component? This seems to be a fake solution in search of a problem. Much like the "complex PTSD" which no one has been shown to any different from borderline PD with posttraumatic stress features. It seems to just be an arbitrary thing so someone can build a research career and fake treatment out of it.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

My understanding of RS is that it's more about assuming rejection than experiencing dysphoria with rejection (which is natural, yes). Hence why it's been studied with BPD.

My understanding of RS is that it's more about assuming rejection than experiencing dysphoria with rejection (which is natural, yes). Hence why it's been studied with BPD.

So...neuroticism?

 

[deleted1019096]

I used RS in a BPD study so I'm familiar with it in that context. Are you aware of any other disorders it's been empirically associated with? I saw a few on depression as well.

Yes, social anxiety disorder and depression, namely. Me too. That is my research in a nutshell (looking at RS transdiagnostically)

 

[deleted1019096]

RS = is the anxious anticipation of rejection and the negative interpretation of even ambiguous stimuli

 

[AcronymAllergy]

So in the case of ADHD, it sounds like ADHD...co-occurring with depression and/or anxiety.

 

[deleted1019096]

Very likely so. I don't think I have ever encountered a literature that discussed ADHD and RS. What I might imagine are environmental correlates of RS in this population. As a lot of people with ADHD tend to struggle in school, they may form negative core beliefs about themselves related to competency etc which could therefore impact their perception of feedback from others...just a hypothesis

 

[DynamicDidactic]

RS = is the anxious anticipation of rejection and the negative interpretation of even ambiguous stimuli

ruminative negative expectations

Do we have evidence indicating RS is different from previously studied cognitive biases? Any theoretical basis for seeing this as a separate concept?

 

[deleted1019096]

RS is cognitive and affective in nature.

 

[clausewitz2]

I have "Lunch Choice dysphoria." All I brought were overnight oats, banana, and mixed nuts. Alas and alack, woe is me, do I need wellbutrin now?

Get you enough of them Welly-B's and you won't care about eating lunch anymore. Problem solved!

 

[WisNeuro]

Get you enough of them Welly-B's and you won't care about eating lunch anymore. Problem solved!

I could stand to lose a few pounds that I've put on since having the kid...

 

[jtpesek]

These last few posts here... LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[foreverbull]

Yes, social anxiety disorder and depression, namely. Me too. That is my research in a nutshell (looking at RS transdiagnostically)

This is exactly what I was thinking....social anxiety disorder seems to be more closely linked with this construct (except for the reactions of "lashing out" that the article refers to, which seems to be more akin to BPD). The crux of SAD is fear of criticism and rejection--the notion that everyone is secretly judging your behaviors and will reject you.

If folks with ADHD are being rejected which leads to more fear of rejection, is this not just saying they're developing dysphoria as a result of typical social anxiety?

I'd really appreciate fewer "new" labels in our field for what could potentially just be comorbidity.

EDIT: Per the article, the only distinctions that they say make RS different from SAD is that folks still have anxiety with people they feel close to and folks with the RS may feel worse after interactions. I'm still not convinced that this is cause for a new diagnosis; I know plenty of folks with SAD who analyze every interaction they had with people after the fact and feel shame/guilt about them.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

Never heard of this. Interesting thread.

 

[R. Matey]

Quite a few of my patients have claimed this disorder recently and seem to respond well to straight cognitive therapy on evaluating assumptions and rules. A CT way of conceptualizing it would be to think of it as catastrophizing about the consequences of rejection.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Quite a few of my patients have claimed this disorder recently and seem to respond well to straight cognitive therapy on evaluating assumptions and rules. A CT way of conceptualizing it would be to think of it as catastrophizing about the consequences of rejection.

Another win for transdiagnostically-effective evidence-based principles of behavior change!